This Sanskrit prayer to be read before a meal, indicates that eating and digesting is a sacred act. The prayer means know Anna, the food to be Brahma (the creative force), the juices in the food, the elements worthy of digestion to be Vishnu (the force that sustains), and the act of digestion to be Shiva (the force that destroys non-essentials). If you know this while you have your meals, no ill-effects which may have otherwise emanated from the food will affect you. Know the act of eating and digestion to be sacred :-)

Sometimes all it takes for a jolt of endorphins to the head is a quick dose of chilli peppers. Not only do they release endorphins, research also suggests they work as aphrodisiacs. For the biggest burst of blazing spiciness, try the hottest pepper in the world—bhut jolokia, or the “ghost pepper”. Known for years to the Assamese, the pepper became internationally famous after making it to the Guinness World Records 2007 book as the hottest pepper in the world.

BarunMallick, scion of the Posta based Mallick family, whose household puja celebrates its 155th year in 2008, shares, 'Heritage demands that puja cuisine is completely vegetarian, comprising largely of bhog (prasad) that is handed out to devotees, daily.'

Matt Gross finds his way around tea estates in the Himalayas to recommend a visit:

Flying to a remote corner of India and braving the long drive into the Himalayas may seem like an awful lot of effort for a good cup of tea, but Darjeeling tea isn't simply good. It's about the best in the world, fetching record prices at auctions in Calcutta and Shanghai, and kick-starting the salivary glands of tea lovers from London to Manhattan.

In fact, Darjeeling is so synonymous with high-quality black tea that few non-connoisseurs realize it's not one beverage but many: 87 tea estates operate in the Darjeeling district, a region that sprawls across several towns (including its namesake) in a mountainous corner of India that sticks up between Nepal and Bhutan, with Tibet not far to the north.

Each has its own approach to growing tea, and in a nod to increasingly savvy and adventurous consumers, a few have converted bungalows into tourist lodging, while others are accepting day visitors keen to learn the production process, compare styles and improve their palates — a teetotaler's version of a Napa Valley wine tour, but with no crowds.

The men who run the estates are royalty — and they know it. When visiting their domains, you are at their disposal, not the other way around. At times, this can be frustrating; at others, delightfully frustrating.

I had my first such encounter — the latter sort — at Makaibari, an estate just south of the town of Kurseong, around 4,500 feet above sea level. More...

Grape juice can help avert heart disease. While red wine in moderation is said to relax blood vessels and increase HDL levels, the ‘good cholesterol. Grape juice also has resveratrol and flavonoids which make red wine therapeutic. Especially the juice from red and purple Concord grapes. Ayurvedic wines like Draksha-aristha use grape juice as their base. More...

On my first day in Thailand an array of colors, sounds, sights, textures, and most particular of all, tastes, bombarded my senses. I remember we sat around a circle at a neighborhood park to practice our Thai and for snacks we had a delicious assortment of fried worms, ants, maggots, and other local delicacies. More @ Matador.com